


Touch

by Senbei_kun



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 22:51:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2043267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Senbei_kun/pseuds/Senbei_kun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[for rueix on Tumblr] Sousuke taking care of Haru who caught a cold. With an extra dose of fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Touch

Blue met blue as Haru’s glimmering eyes looked at the pool. His nose felt clogged, his throat felt a little itchy, and his entire body felt hot, so he wanted nothing more than to dive in and let water embrace him all over and cool him down. He knew these symptoms, and whenever he caught a cold, he would go into the water, because to him, water heals more than any medicine can.

He pulled the goggles on his forehead down and got ready to jump. But before he could, a muscular arm suddenly circled around his waist from behind and started pulling him away. Away from the only thing that could make his colds go away.

“Oh no you don’t.”

Haru struggled. He hated getting sick. He hated having a clogged nose that made it difficult to breathe. He hated having an itchy throat that made him cough. He hated not having any appetite to eat his mackerel nor having enough strength to grill it. And most of all, he hated having to depend on others to take care of him, and being looked at with worried faces.

“Let me go, Yamazaki.”

He used all the strength he had despite his condition to push the strong arm away and he almost broke free. But with the huge difference in their size, Sousuke easily hoisted him up his shoulder, carrying him away from the pool. Not wanting to look like a fool struggling any more knowing it would just be futile, Haruka did not bother to and just let the taller boy do as he pleased.

“Geez, it’s a good thing Rin warned me about this.”

“Rin?”

“You weren’t eating well these past few days, and you looked pale. I guessed you might be coming down with something so I called him.”

“Hm…”

Not another word was exchanged until they reached their room. Haruka, Sousuke, Makoto and Rin were scouted by the same university. But since Makoto and Rin both had relatives in the city where they all moved to, only Sousuke and Haruka had to stay in the dormitory especially reserved for first-string members of the university’s nationally-seeded swimming team. And because they were the only first years to be promoted to regulars, they were roomed together.

Sousuke pulled out his keys and after getting in, unceremoniously dumped him on the couch then threw their sports bags on the floor. He opened the drawers where Haruka kept his T-shirst and pajamas, grabbed whatever was on top, and tossed them to his roommate, saying “Go get changed while I make something to eat,” then sauntered over to the kitchen.

His body feeling heavy, Haruka felt like he exerted ten times more effort than usual with the simple act of putting his clothes on (over his swimming trunks, naturally). He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, but did not find anything worth watching after idly flipping through the channels. He switched it off and lied down instead. But since the couch was designed for two people, it felt a bit cramped. He wanted to rest his eyes so he closed them, and in that darkness the only thing he could hear was the sound of the knife hitting the chopping board, something boiling, and the soft buzz of the exhaust fan over the stove.

He could not remember when he fell asleep, but by the time he woke up, he was feeling a little more comfortable than before he slept. He heard the sound of paper rustling above his head, prompting him to look up. The cover of the thick paperback book Sousuke had been reading since the start of the term came into view before the other boy put it down and faced him.

“Nanase, you’re awake? How are you feeling?”

Sousuke softly pressed his palm against Haru’s forehead, saying “You feel warmer. Looks like your fever went up.”

Haru looked on wordlessly, and as if reading the unspoken question through his curious blue eyes, Sousuke looked away as he said, “Ah… this. Well the couch is pretty cramped. It’s not a good idea to sleep here ‘cause you’ll get a stiff neck. Besides, I wanted to watch TV and this is the only couch we have, but I then you looked so tired so I didn’t want to wake you up. A… Anyway, I made some porridge so go eat.”

 _‘Don’t wanna…’_ Haru thought. He wanted nothing more than to lie back down and go back to sleep, but doing so would mean using Sousuke’s lap as pillow again. Grunting, he forced himself up and sluggishly walked over to the dining table as Sousuke took his bowl and scooped some porridge into it.

Now this was odd. He could see the TV perfectly fine from where he was sitting. So why did that guy need the couch? Not having the energy to think any deeper on it, he started eating. His eyes widened when he put the first spoonful in his mouth. It tasted just like the porridge his grandmother used to make whenever he got sick as a child- with rice soft enough that he practically does not need to chew and a dash of soy sauce. And lots of bonito flakes.

“Rin…”

“Hm?”

Sousuke wondered why he blurted out his best friend’s name all of a sudden, then he realized right away what Haruka probably meant.

“Ah, yes. Rin told me to make it this way. Apparently you made it for him once when he was sick. Picky eater, that guy, so Gou was completely lost on what to do when he refused to eat anything” he recalled, smiling fondly.

Haruka remembered Rin pestering him for the recipe because he liked it so much. He was reluctant to share it at first, after all it was his dear grandmother’s memory. But with Rin’s undying persistence, he eventually gave in.

After he finished eating, Haruka brought his dishes to the sink to wash them as always. Sousuke told him to leave it in the sink, he will wash it just this once, but Haruka refused, saying he could do at least this much as thanks for looking after him. Sousuke looked like he was still against it, but did not say anything more. He took out a bottle of pills from their medicine cupboard instead and told Haru to drink it then go to bed.

Looking at the green numbers of the electronic alarm clock told Sousuke it was already 2 in the morning. And yet, he could still hear the sheets rustling in the bottom bunk. They went to bed early, and yet Haruka was still awake, which was not good since he had to sleep in order to let his body rest and recover.

He thought back on his phone conversation with Rin.

_‘Sousuke, I need to tell you something. It’s probably not my place to speak, since I only heard various things from Makoto and the rest are just my own theories, but, since you’ll be rooming with Haru I think you should know. Haru tends to catch colds pretty easily, and when he gets sick, he runs to water.’_

_‘Makoto said it’s probably because his parents are always away, and since his grandmother died, he was pretty much left alone most of the time. Haru will never say this, but even Makoto knows that more than anything and anyone, Haru relies on water…_

_‘Because to him, it was the one thing constant and never left.’_

Sousuke snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the person on the bottom bunk roll over again. He wanted to wait until Haruka fell asleep before going to bed. But knowing his roommate absolutely hated the idea of being a bother to anyone, and would feel bad to know he had kept Sousuke up, he continued to read the sci-fi novel he had been reading for the past few months. Besides, between team practices and his classes, it had been a while since he last got to read this much.

He snorted, thinking that if he was back home, his mother would’ve probably knocked on his room again and told him to go to bed already. Then his eyes widened. That was it! Whenever he caught a cold as a child, more than any medicine, there was only one thing that made him feel better without fail- his mother’s touch. It pained him to think so, but Haruka running to water was probably the same way a feverish child would want to be held and fall asleep in his mother’s arms.

Sousuke got up and climbed down from his top bunk. He then took his book and the tiny book light attached to it and sat on the edge of the bottom bunk.

“Yamazaki. Still reading?”

“Yeah. I was about to stop when I got to the good part, so now I can’t stop. What about you, can’t sleep?”

He touched Haruka’s forehead again. The fever has gone down thanks to the medicine, so he wondered why Sousuke was taking so long to take his hand off. His question was soon answered when Sousuke ran his fingers through his hair, stroking his head from the forehead up to the top of his head. He slowly, gently, quietly repeated this gesture, and looked like he was not going to stop anytime soon.

And eventually, Haruka felt his eyelids get heavy.

“You’re just as Rin said.”

“What?”

“Meddlesome.”

Sousuke snorted. He could not think of anything to say back. He looked at Haruka’s peaceful sleeping face graced by the gentle beam of moonlight passing through the window as he listened to his even breathing. He slowly retracted his hand and quietly got up and climbed up the top bunk.

“Good night… Haru”, he mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

~Fin~

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Not mine. This is just a fanwork based on Free! Eternal Summer. If you enjoyed it, I'll be happy ^_^


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